Fiber optic cables typically include one or more optical fibers surrounded by a protective polymer jacket. The jacket must be robust enough to endure various environmental conditions, yet must also allow field technicians to access the enclosed optical fibers without undue effort and time. Various solutions have been proposed to provide access to optical fibers in a cable core, including the inclusion of ripcords and other means. U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,196 includes large inserts that can be removable from a cable jacket to allow access to the cable core. The inserts are so large, however, that mechanical performance of the cable may suffer as the size of the inserts allow large sections of the cable/tube jacket to bend and flex in dissimilar modes.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,187,830 discloses the creation of voids filled with liquid or gas, but such voids may also adversely affect structural integrity of some cable jacket types, as well as providing paths for water ingress.